Betsy should be advised that when her baby's teeth erupt, she will receive a lot of advice from well-meaning parents about "teething."

Teething is frequently believed to result in feverish, fussy, cranky babies who whine, drool, and put objects into their mouths. Clearly, there are other causes of such behavior as teething is a normal physiologic process. If a child has a fever, nausea or congestion, it is important not to assume the cause is teething but to check with a pediatrician.

It is recommended to rub and clean the area where the teeth are erupting and give the baby something safe to bite on - for example, a teething ring, cool spoon, or a cold, wet washcloth.